Signs of hope five years after start of Syria’s war

March 12, 2016 6:34 PM

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BEIRUT, Lebanon — The United Nations mediator, Staffan de Mistura, was satisfied enough with the results to convene a new round of indirect peace talks starting Monday, which opposition groups have agreed to attend. That is the day before the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, which morphed into civil war and then a regional and global proxy war.

The deal, brokered by Washington and Moscow, is in many ways flawed and problematic, and dozens of airstrikes and bombardments still occur daily. But the death toll, and the level of fear, have sharply decreased, and Mr. de Mistura said last week that the cease-fire, originally planned for two weeks...